


The Little Things

by The_Literary_Assassin



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F, Nurturing Miranda Priestly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:35:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Literary_Assassin/pseuds/The_Literary_Assassin
Summary: Sucked back into Miranda's sphere once more, Andy is astonished to find that her own change in circumstances is not as big a deal as she first thought. In fact, perhaps she and Miranda will learn something from each other. Perhaps, they'll learn not to sweat the little things.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all. Seeing as I'm back now, and I've only got three chapters of this up so I'm taking the time to re-edit them and get them polished up before posting the next few chapters. Not a lot of it has changed, maybe a few bits here and there but hopefully it's a bit tighter.  
> When this idea first popped into my head, a few people read it over and gave me their thought: icequeen195, chariot82, gemmegeek86, cothrom72, *the Miranda Priestly fb user*, awayfan and Poppinswannabe - THANK YOU for your input at the beginning of this project. Thank you for being honest with me, your feedback was invaluable.  
> Also, thanks to raiderl and duwinter for their comments about other things when I first tentatively floated this fic.  
> Love to you all!
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Miranda watched as her twins skated around the Rockefeller centre. Clasping her hands together for warmth, she almost regretted the decision that she was getting too old to go skating. She smiled gently as Cassidy twirled Caroline into a spin. They’d handled the last year so well and she’d even managed to put some work into spending time with them. Most nights she would be home for dinner, and she’d even had enough time to help with homework. It had constantly surprised her how much this had meant to the girls.

No matter how much time she'd eked out for them, how happy her children were, Miranda didn’t feel all that happy. Content, certainly, but not happy. Not since Paris. Not since Andréa.

She sat there pondering the thoughts that she usually pondered once her children were in bed, and the house was silent. Why did she miss her former second assistant so much? Why did she feel that she couldn’t let go? She still had no idea why Andréa had left. She knew it wasn’t because of Nigel, it seemed more than that. And she still had no idea why she couldn’t seem to make herself blacklist the obnoxious girl. Everyone at Runway knew to never say her name in the office, but it didn’t push her any further from Miranda’s mind. She pulled her focus back to the ice rink in front of her, noticing that her twins were leaning on the barricades on the other side of the rink talking to someone. Frowning, and suddenly feeling all her protective instincts kick into high gear, she swept up their belongings and made her way around the rink.

They should know better than to talk to strangers.

As Miranda drew closer she realised that the twins were looking at something in a woman’s arms. She picked up her pace. She had not earned the nicknames she had by being nice and as such, developed a lot of enemies. What better way was there to hurt her than to use the most important people in her life. Her heartbeat sped up as she got closer, seeing Caroline leaning over the railing touching whatever it was in the woman’s hand.

"Caroline!"

The yelling was so uncharacteristic that Cassidy spun around in fright, slipping on the ice and pulling her twin down with her. The woman they had been talking to spun around as well and the two stood there for a full minute staring in astonishment.

Miranda tried her hardest to say something, anything as she stood there looking into those big brown eyes, but nothing seemed to come. The woman cleared her throat.

"Um, hi Miranda," Andréa said softly, her gaze fell to the bundle in her arms that Miranda still couldn’t see properly.

Miranda stood completely still as her feelings flew out of control. She still couldn’t make her mouth move and she realised she must have looked like an idiot. Pulling every ounce of self-control she could muster she drew herself up to her full height.

"Yes, well. Hello Andréa," she said. Her tone matching the frigid weather. Andy looked at Miranda for a second before smiling apologetically at the girls.

"Sorry munchkins," she said gently giving them a wink before turning to leave.

"Andy wait," Caroline said before she could get too far. "Aren’t you going to show Mom?" she said with a frown. Andy turned to look at Miranda, who was still staring at her.

"I don’t think so sweetie."

Miranda watched the girl shrug a little, looking at whatever was in her arms before turning to leave once more.

"Mom! What is wrong with you?" Cassidy said waving her arms, almost knocking Caroline over again. That brought Miranda out of her trance.

"I beg your pardon?" Miranda said, wondering what on earth just happened.

"Why didn’t you say something? We both know you haven’t been happy since Andy left," Caroline said, picking up the conversation. "And you should have gone to her."

Feigning disinterest she waved her hand making her girls roll their eyes, remarkably like their mother.

"What was in her arms?" Miranda said, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing. It was so difficult to see in this half-light and with all the winter gear one had to wear in New York, Miranda still couldn’t figure it out.

"Urgh," Cassidy said throwing her arms up in resignation. "I give up. What are you going to do when we leave? You can't be our Mom forever you know."

Miranda watched, slightly shocked, as her youngest by 5 minutes skated off around the ice. Caroline flashed an apologetic look before patting her hand.

"You should call her Mom," Caroline said gently. "Invite her for dinner, we don’t mind, in fact, we’d love it," she said with a small smile, before leaving her mother standing in awe of how much more mature her twins had gotten almost overnight.

She sat on the closest bench and pondered for a moment, realising suddenly the same thing that the twins apparently had.

Miranda Priestly was in love with Andréa Sachs.

-0-

Andy sighed as she walked back to her apartment, shrugging off her winter gear and dumping it on the side table. She should have known that wherever the twins were, Miranda would have been close by, but she just couldn’t help it. After the 'Harry Potter incident,' the twins had warmed up to her considerably and often took the time to sneak downstairs whenever Andy delivered the book. She sighed as she looked down at the bundle in her arms. Three months old already. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, and she smiled when the twins had told her much the same. Things had been so difficult in the last twelve months since she’d left Miranda in Paris and she had only just begun to get over the fact that she had feelings for the unfathomable editor.

Now they were back in the forefront of her mind.

"Come along my love," she said gently, picking up her baby boy and settling on the couch. He grumbled as she took off a few of his many layers, laughing as he flailed around until he found what he wanted. As Andy sat feeding him, she gently stroked the soft hairs on his head, once again amazed at how much she could love someone so tiny. She frowned when the phone rang, disturbing him from his dozing.

"Hello?"

"Andréa?" Andy’s mouth fell open as she realised who was on the phone.

"Miranda?"

"I," Andy waited for Miranda to say something, wondering absently why she was even ringing. "You are required at the Townhouse tomorrow. 7 pm sharp," Andy snapped out of her daze, feeling a little anger swell in her chest.

"In case you’ve forgotten, I don’t work for you anymore," she snapped, disturbing the baby. She heard Miranda sigh and rolled her eyes. Andy contemplated asking her what she wanted, but couldn't seem to get the words out - she was Miranda Priestly for god’s sake and nobody asked Miranda Priestly anything.

"I see your attitude hasn’t changed," Miranda said icily.

Andy soothed her child, who was grumbling at the interruption of his dinner and shook her head. She knew Miranda in and out and she knew there would be no winning against this mood.

She conceded. Partially.

"You know what?" Andy said softly. "I can’t do this. If you ever work out what it is you actually want to say to me, give me a call. I've never not taken your call."

Andy hung up the phone and glanced around her empty apartment, thankful for the fact that she still had the inheritance her grandfather had left her years ago. She dreaded to think how much worse her life would be if she had moved back to Ohio. Miranda still scared her, but having to move back home would have been so much worse.

-0-

Miranda stood in her study looking at the phone in shock. No-one hung up on Miranda Priestly, and yet the impertinent girl had done just that. Still in shock, she didn’t hear the study door open and her twins walk in, looking a little confused as to why she was standing staring at the receiver.

"Mom?" Caroline said cautiously.

Miranda snapped out of her daze to look at her Bobbseys, smiling falsely when she dropped the phone as if it burned her.

"Hello darlings, ready for bed?"

"Mom, who was on the phone?" Cassidy asked. If she didn't still feel completely off kilter, Miranda would have smiled. As it was, her stomach kept doing somersaults at the audacity of what Andréa had just done.

"Nobody sweetheart, absolutely nobody," she lied, knowing her children would be less than impressed with how she had acted.

"Mom, are you going to ring Andy?" Caroline asked hopefully.

Miranda took a deep breath and recognised the looks in her babies eyes. They wouldn’t give up on the idea that she had supposedly been unhappy since Andréa had vacated her life, and as much as it galled her to admit it, they weren’t necessarily wrong.

"Come and sit with me," she said, getting up from her desk and sitting in the middle of the sofa in her study. She recalled so many nights like this one where they’d simply sat and read together, Cassidy sitting properly, but leaning slightly against her, as if she was afraid to be the child Miranda knew they should still be. Caroline had no qualms about draping herself all over Miranda though and Miranda secretly enjoyed it. It reminded her of happier times when they were young enough to want to cuddle in bed on a weekend before her life got too busy for them, and they had to grow up too soon.

"Andréa and I have a complicated history, and I don’t think she wants to hear from me," she explained gently, trying to swing just a tiny bit of the blame on Andréa. The impertinent girl had left her after all. It was only fair that she took even a fraction of the blame.

She felt the disturbance coming before she heard it when Cassidy went still in her arms.

"Bullshit," she said, getting up and standing before Miranda with her fists clenched and wearing a scowl worthy of her mother. If it weren't directed at her, she'd be proud.

"Cassidy, we do not use language like that, you know this. Your iPod will be removed from your possession for two days," Miranda said, still reeling.

She wasn't sure what troubled her more - the fact that her child could see right through her, or that her baby was old enough suddenly to understand the finer points of cursing.

"Oh come _on_ Mom. We're not stupid, we know Andy, and we know you. Between the two of you I know which one of you would have stuffed this whole thing up," she ranted, kicking the sofa.

"Cass -" Caroline started.

"No, I’m sick of it. Why do you have to be so mean all the time, why can’t you just be nice? Andy was nice! Why do you have to make the one thing we both loved run away. _I HATE YOU_ and I hope Andy and Thomas do too."

Miranda’s eyes widened comically as Cassidy clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh no!" she squeaked. "Now she’s going to hate me too."

Miranda couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk as Cassidy turned her glare back at her before running out of the room. Her somewhat relaxing evening was punctuated by the slamming of Cassidy’s bedroom door as she sat reeling.

"Mommy?" Caroline hated fighting and the wobble in her voice was heartbreaking.

"It’s alright Bobbsey," she said gently, pulling her youngest closer to her, "she is entitled to feel that way, I still love her."

"She still loves you too," Caroline whispered. "She didn’t really mean that."

Miranda smiled and kissed her baby’s hair, taking a moment to soak up the love before leaning back and cupping Caroline’s chin.

"I know sweetheart, but you and I both know that I have not always been here for you. I’ve tried to do better but -"

"But nothing Mom," Caroline said, suddenly kneeling up beside her. "I heard you on the phone, you could have talked to Andy better, sure, but like you always say, it’s done now. What you have to do now is figure out how you're going to make up for it. Cassidy will be alright, she’s always alright but Andy doesn’t know you like we do. She doesn't know you're really a nice person! But," Caroline smiled at her mom. "I think she would want to."

Miranda had never felt so useless as a mother. Even when she had watched her ex-husband making them laugh instead of cry, changing their diapers while she was on her way out to work. Caroline was teaching her how to be a human being, and it was humbling.

"Just ring her, tell her you’re sorry for doing whatever it was that you did to drive her away and get her to come over for dinner."

"Oh yes, should I invite this Thomas as well?" Miranda said tersely, feeling more cantankerous when Caroline giggled and leaned into her to kiss her cheek.

"He can’t not come Mom, but that can be your surprise to enjoy. He’s cute, you’ll like him," she added almost as an afterthought.

As she traipsed off to bed, leaving Miranda stewing on the sofa, Miranda was sure of one thing absolutely. She would not like any man in Andréa’s life. Ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Ch1 for Disclaimer
> 
> Hello all, back to the fray. As I said in Ch1, I'm updating this a little before I post the rest. I'm going to swing it a little less directly towards getting them together (cos it was kinda quick) and make it a tiny bit slower (though not too slow. Ain't nobody got time for that). Hope you enjoy. This has changed just a little bit here and there, but I don't think it's too noticeable. Cheers!

In the quiet of an empty apartment, Andy heard Thomas waking up and put her internet search for a suitable nanny on hold. She was overcome with love for her son as he lay in his cot and waving his arms and smiling up at her.

"Hello beautiful boy. We’re off to see Uncle Nigel today, yes we are."

She couldn’t help it, whenever she started talking to her miracle boy, she’d descend into that gooey language that people seemed to think all babies wanted to hear. He was her world and she would do everything and anything to protect him. In that way Miranda's response at the Rockefeller Centre made sense. It didn't excuse her behaviour, but once again, Andy understood Miranda Priestly. 

She sighed, lost in thought as she went through the motions of changing his diaper. 

The stress of going back to work was creeping up on her. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do with Thomas. She had meant to have found a babysitter by now, but as yet, she'd been less than impressed with everyone she'd met. She was under no illusion that her job security was pretty wobbly right now, and she needed to be able to balance being a Mom and a working woman. 

How ironic her life was.

It was only those two sentences scrawled on fax paper that had saved her job when she’d realised. What she thought was a stomach virus turned into something infinitely more terrifying but her boss, Greg, thumbing the corner of that fax had simply nodded. He had said that she could do some work from home in the months she had to have off. She'd done that and more when she could, and she’d done well. She mused at his reasoning that if Miranda Priestly thought he was an idiot if he didn't hire her, then he certainly wasn’t going to let her go so soon. She had been super lucky and Andy always felt a little dazed when she thought about it.

She pulled on Thomas' snowsuit and little beanie. Nigel had provided her with all the high-end baby gear she could possibly need, with lots of added goodies from Aunty Emily and Aunty Serena. Andy and Emily had mended their bridges not long after Andy found out she was pregnant. She’d rung Nigel in a hysterical moment of tears just as he’d been eating lunch with the two women, and rushed out to see what the matter was. Emily had been 82 seconds late getting back to the desk, but thankfully Miranda had been out and the new girl had been none the wiser. Andy had made sure to make it up to Em later, bailing her out of a seemingly impossible Miranda problem a couple of weeks later.

She strapped him into his pram and made it to the elevator before he started to squirm. It was hot in the building and he definitely preferred to be wearing anything but his winter gear. New York winters necessitated it though and she tried to keep his attention until they made it outside. She walked along the street, going at her own pace and pondering the way her life had changed so completely since Thomas came along. She thought about things like that a lot. About where her life was going, and the choices she’d made along the way. She was happier than she’d ever been before and she knew that her little man had everything to do with it. 

She pushed the stroller across the street, stopping still on the sidewalk as a silver Mercedes pulled up to the curb outside the Elias-Clark building. She’d been at this exact spot almost six months ago, waving to her old boss like a lunatic. She didn’t want Miranda to see her now. She didn’t want to see the scorn on Miranda's face like she had last night. She'd shielded Thomas from cold, and from the force of Miranda's glare. She didn't want to expose him to that world. The girls were beautiful, and they'd giggled and cooed at Thomas who soaked up all the attention. And then Miranda had arrived, clearly thinking that she was about to spirit away her two precious girls. Before Thomas Andy might have laughed at how ridiculous that sounded, but now, she understood the panic. 

She considered Thomas’ first fever and his first bout of colic. She sighed as she remembered the hours she had spent rocking him, crying along with him as he hurt. 

The over-protectiveness from Miranda she could handle. It was almost sweet, if anything Miranda did was sweet, but the anger; the jagged words that cut down to her soul, she could not. She would not.

She pushed her thoughts away just in time to see Miranda sweep from the building with Emily in tow, talking on her phone. She was magnificent. Her perfect hair and her perfect face caught Andy by surprise as she looked at her old boss, feeling something stirring in her that she had not felt since her last night in Paris. It wasn’t until Thomas made his intentions known that Andy realised she’d been standing on the street corner staring. She shook herself, both mentally and physically and pushed her precious cargo into Starbucks. Obviously Nigel had known Miranda was leaving, otherwise he no doubt wouldn’t have been able to meet her.

"Hello darling," he said, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek. "How are you and the little Cherub?" he asked, ordering for both of them. Andy smiled but didn’t argue. Nigel always insisted that he pay for everything. As Thomas’ fairy godfather he said that he had to; it was part of his duties.

"We’re fine Nige," she replied, thanking the barista for her hot chocolate. She was still breastfeeding and had sworn off coffee as soon as she’d known about the little one growing inside her. She missed it, most often when she met Nigel at the Starbucks across the street from Elias-Clarke, smelling the rich tones of caffeine, but she refused to budge. She’d made a decision for Thomas’ sake, and she would stick to it.

"I hear you had a run in with a mutual friend yesterday?" he asked suddenly, throwing her off guard. "I got an email from a small red-headed child. Someone starts calling me their kid’s fairy godfather and suddenly I’m Uncle to everyone," he chuckled. "Relax Six, I didn't say anything. Caroline came to me months ago asking about an art project because she needed to borrow the lightbox. Truly I think you-know-who would have bought her one if she’d have asked, but she came to me and we’re BFF’s now."

Andy couldn't help it, she burst into laughter, startling Thomas a little before she managed to get it under control.

"There she is," Nigel said, taking a sip of his macchiato. "Caroline said that you-know-who was not particularly pleasant to you and that she got it in the neck from Cassidy once they’d gone home."

"Nigel, you don’t have to avoid saying her name," Andy said quietly, refusing to look at him. "I’m not going to freak out."

"And yet you suddenly have gone very quiet and very still," he said, leaning over to poke Thomas’ tummy, staging his whisper to the tot, as if he was telling him the mother of all secrets. "I know something that Miranda doesn’t," he whispered, still tickling Thomas carefully. "And I know something that your Mommy doesn’t, but that’s for me to know and for them to find out," he grinned, leaning back looking content. "Enough of this, when are we all going to get together for dinner. I’ll come over and cook if you like, or we can order in, let’s make it soon though, I want to work out what has Emily in a tizzy. She’s barely spoken two words of gossip to me in the last three weeks and it makes me think that Serena has asked her for something she wants, but doesn’t know how to admit."

Andy was thankful for the reprieve.

"You think they’ll move in together?" Andy asked, chewing a marshmallow thoughtfully.

"Doll, they were already there until Serena came right out and said it. She’s never looked so glum,  _ and _ they are now arriving to work separately," he tapped his nose. "Something is going on."

"Alright, well ask them and let me know. I’ve got to start thinking about nannies and such. I go back to work in three weeks."

"Has it been that long!" Nigel exclaimed, looking over at Thomas, who giggled and waving his hands at Nigel. "Oh I would love a quick cuddle Little Prince, but if you sick-up on me again the game will be up. Aunty Miranda will notice straight away."

Andy nearly shot hot chocolate from her nose as she heard Nigel’s words.

"I can’t believe you just said that," she said, mopping her chin, and Thomas’ fine hair. He grinned expectantly. "Please don’t Nigel, she isn’t and she wouldn’t. So just don’t okay?"

She watched as Nigel looked at her, like he’d looked at her many many months ago in the closet. It was almost as if he was trying to see something only he could see and she blushed under the scrutiny.

"Alright Six, alright, I give." 

Andy laughed and swatted his arm.

"I’m a four again you know, he was totally worth it though," she said, kissing her baby.

"Yeah," Nigel said, winking at her. "He definitely was."

They sat watching Thomas chew on his fist before Nigel glanced at his watch.

"Well my dear, I’m afraid it’s time for me to go," he kissed Andy’s cheek and then Thomas’ fluffy head. "You take care, both of you and call me if you need me. You-know-who has been amazingly generous since you-know-when."

"Nigel," Andy said, glaring at him. He always made such a big deal of it and while she pretended otherwise, Andy didn’t even like thinking about it, let alone be reminded of it.

"Alright, alright, but seriously, if I asked for a day off, she’d give it to me, so you just let me know."

"I will," Andy promised, getting up and setting Thomas into his stroller. "I’ll walk you down to the crosswalk."

They parted ways, Nigel stopping to wave by the doors, and Andy waiting for him to do so. She was so thankful for him. He’d been a godsend since the time the two little blue lines had appeared in front of her eyes and had really only drawn the line when she asked him to join her in the birthing suite. He'd be there for everything else and she loved him for it. In the end, he'd been there anywhere. Thomas had been so stubborn she'd had to have a C-section and he talked her through it while they were operating. She shivered from what she told herself was the cold and decided to walk back through the park. 

Despite the snow, the sun was shining and she would soak up as much vitamin D as she could, while she could.

"Come on Munchkin," she said happily, turning to the park. "Let’s go and wander. With any luck, Mommy might find a story to write and make us some money."

She’d made it most of the way through and stopped by the playground so Thomas could watch the children playing. He was too young to really appreciate what was going on, but he seemed to enjoy the squeals from the few children playing. 

Her phone rang, interrupting her tranquillity and she answered it without checking who it was.

"Andy Sachs."

There was no answer from the other end of the line and she waited for a moment, in case the person had her on hold.

"Hello?"

"Andréa."

That was a voice she was not prepared to hear. Mid-afternoon, on a workday no less, Miranda Priestly was calling her. Herself. Andy bit her lip while she decided what to do. She could hang up, but something made her stay.

"Are you there?" Miranda asked, suddenly sounding somewhat less like Miranda.

"I’m here," Andy replied.

"I, um -" The uncharacteristic stutter made Andy check it was actually Miranda's number. "I was wondering whether perhaps you would join the girls and me for dinner tonight, or tomorrow if it would suit you better. They have expressed a wish to see you, and, well if you chose to bring your," there was a pause as Andy tried to work out what Miranda was saying. "Someone along with you then, well, I’m sure we would manage."

"You want me to bring someone?" Andy said, forgetting the 1st Rule of Miranda-land. Do not ask Miranda Priestly questions. 

"The twins intimated that you  _ had _ someone to bring."

Andy was stumped for a moment before she looked down at Thomas and almost laughed. Miranda must not have seen Thomas at the Rockefeller centre and the girls had clearly mentioned something to her. In usual Twin form, they hadn't explained. While Andy found the idea rather amusing to lead Miranda on, she wasn't sure she was brave enough. She decided to chance it. This interaction was unlike any other she'd ever had with Miranda. What better way to start off this new thing that was obviously going on.

"I, that would be nice, thank you," Andy replied, her voice steady despite the multitude of confusing feelings rushing through her body. "Tonight would be fine."

"Very well, we’ll be ordering Smith and Wollensky, I shall order your usual?" 

It wasn’t really phrased as a question, but after working so closely with Miranda, the tiny inflection at the end was enough for Andy to tell she was being asked, not told. It also occurred suddenly to her that Miranda was Miranda. How would she know what Andy's usual was? Did Andy know what Andy's usual was?

"Um, Do I have a usual?" Andy asked, wincing at how stressed she sounded. "I just," she grimaced. "I can't eat anything spicy," she said lamely.

"Are you ill?" Miranda said quickly, throwing another curveball.

Andy couldn’t really even answer her as she took her ear from the phone and looked at the display. It was definitely Miranda’s number, and by the ticking minutes on the display, this was the longest she’d spent on the phone with her ex-boss,  _ ever. _

"Um, no, Miranda? I, is everything alright?"

"What?"

"Well, I just -"

"Stop babbling," Miranda said shortly, though not unkindly. 

"Maybe a steak?"

"I shall order you a steak, no garnish and some vegetables, will that suffice?"

"Yes Miranda," she said automatically.

"And perhaps the same for your, well, good, be at the Townhouse by seven."

The phone line went dead and she looked dumbly at her phone until Thomas squealed to be picked up. She did so automatically, sitting him on her knee and holding him tightly. After a while, he started grumbling and when she checked the time, she realised it was time for his afternoon feed and nap. She walked home in shock, going through the motions of unlocking the door and undressing Thomas and herself and then feeding him in the rocking chair Serena had spotted in a thrift shop. The woman had had it recovered and sanded and stained in a beautiful dark stain and it was a wonderful gift that both she and Thomas enjoyed sitting in. She put him down for his nap, got herself a glass of water and sat on her sofa, replaying the conversation in her head. 

"I’m having dinner with Miranda," she mused, looking into her glass as if it held the world’s secrets. "I’m having dinner with-"

And then it hit her.

"I'm having -" her brain froze and her stomach lurched. "Holy shit."

She scrambled for her phone, leaving one, two messages on Nigel’s phone to ring her back as soon as possible and then she paced in front of the kitchen bench until her phone started to ring.

"Nigel? Hello? Hello?"

"Whoa, calm down Six, what’s going on, is the Princeling alright?"

Andy forced herself to take a number of deep breaths, while still be conscious of Nigel being at work.

"She’s just invited me for dinner, at the Townhouse. TONIGHT!"

She waited for Nigel to respond and heard him mutter something in the background.

"Nigel! I’m going to dinner, with Thomas for heaven's sake, except she doesn't know it’s Thomas, I think she thinks it’s some sort of boyfriend. What the hell am I going to do?"

"Andy, Andy, relax sugar, Uncle Nigel will be there at five to make sure you are looking at your best for our magnanimous leader. And I’ll bring something spunky for young Thomas as well, alright? Just relax sweetheart, it will be alright."

Andy nodded dumbly, making the appropriate noises when he hung up. She had planned on finishing an article when she’d come home, but now? Now she couldn't think of anything except Miranda. 

Of course, now she had the brain capacity to think about it, seven was the worst possible time for her to be at Miranda's. Thomas would be due for a feed and was usually cranky by that time, especially after a full day. She contemplated getting him up again and putting him back down later, but as she looked at his little face peaceful in sleep, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Miranda had children, surely she’d understand.

Of course, she may also throw her out on her arse too, but that would all happen soon. She would do some work while she waited for Nigel. Something to take her mind off things. She stood up, taking a deep breath and telling herself it would be alright.

It would have worked too, if she hadn’t needed to run to the bathroom before she lost all semblance of control.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Ch1 for Disclaimer

****Miranda would never, even under pain of death, admit to anyone that she was satisfied with the run-through. However, now that Nigel had a little more autonomy, things seemed to come together a little easier, allowing her to dismiss the majority of her art staff without threatening to maim anyone. She sat for a moment longer than everyone else in the conference room looking at the boards, imagining them in her magazine and noticed absently that Nigel had remained behind. She did not particularly like the smug look he had on his face.

"Yes Nigel?" she said, feigning boredom. She allowed him a measure of freedom, because he deserved it, and because she knew she had done the wrong thing by throwing him under a bus in Paris, even to save her own skin. Andréa had been right. She should warned him, trusted him even. It was an error she would never admit to, but continue making up for, for a long time.

"Is there something you’d like to tell me Miranda?" he asked cheekily, grinning as she raised her eyebrow.

"Nigel, you of all people should know by now that I detest playing games. Come to the point."

"I heard you’re having dinner guests at the Townhouse tonight."

"Where did you -" she glared. "I see you kept in touch," she said, wondering why she hadn’t made that conclusion before.

"I have."

"Well," she said, gathering up her things. She was going to walk away and lodge that bit of information where she stored all the other bits of information about her former assistant. In that place she refused to acknowledge. Until she found herself saying: "I suppose you have met this new man in her life. Tell me he can at least dress appropriately? He doesn’t look anything like Christian Thompson, or that cook-boy - whatever he was - she dated for a while?"

She waited for Nigel to answer, watching as he stood and moved to her side.

"One might wonder how you know these things Miranda," he dared quietly, his eyes twinkling. "But then, you always did seem to notice our Andy more than any other assistant." She made to storm from the room. The man was brilliant at making her feel off balance. She couldn't even snap at him. She was ready to stalk away without another work when his voice stopped her at the door. "He’s brilliant. Really clever, funny, beautiful even," Nigel said, sounding happier than he should have. "You’ll love him."

All the way back to her office she had to work very hard not to allow anyone to hear the growl building in her throat.

"Love him," she muttered, slamming the door behind her no doubt in Emily’s face. "Ridiculous. I’ll give him something to remember me by."

She buzzed the new girl, whatever her name was, demanding coffee as she sat pondering how best to destroy the man that Andréa would bring into her home. She felt more and more balanced as she imagined rending his flesh from his bones with barely a whisper and for the first time in a long time found herself itching to go home. The December Issue had been released, and they were well on their way with January’s. The majority of it would be finalised by the time they broke for their week off in a week or so's time. The remaining finishing touches would be done after the New Year. Things were looking up.

It was past 4 when she next checked her watch and she knew the girls would be home by now. She'd stayed cloistered in her office for the afternoon, happy in her solitude. She sat around for a moment longer before remembering that she was the boss, and she could make whatever hours she like. With that, Miranda yanked open the door, startling _new-girl_ into almost dropping her millionth coffee of the day and demanded her coat and bag, swiping the coffee on her way past. Tonight she would deal with Andréa’s ‘brilliant’ boyfriend.

As the doors on the elevator closed and took a sip of her nowhere near perfect coffee, she wondered why she even cared.

-0-

"MOM! She’s going to be here any minute," Caroline’s voice rang out down the corridor.

"Caroline, kindly stop shouting," she demanded, opening the door to let her into her room as she searched for something to wear.

"You’re not wearing that are you?" her little one said, flopping down onto the bed with her head resting on her hands.

"I am," she said, looking around in confusion. "Since when have you dictated what I do or do not wear to dinner?"

"I haven't," Caroline said and Miranda heard a little hurt in it. "But please don’t wear that Mom, you look like Miranda Priestly. Can’t you just look like Mom," Caroline pleaded, scrunching her nose in frustration as she eyed the outfit in her hand. "Andy knows you. She won’t care if you look like Mom."

Miranda paused before pulling her robe a little tighter around her and sitting on the bed next to her daughter.

"And what would you have me wear? Hmm?" she asked, genuinely wondering what Caroline thought.

"Can’t you wear what you wore on the weekend, you looked really pretty and not like you were going to tell anyone off."

Miranda stared at Caroline like she’d grown a second head. The ‘outfit she’d worn on the weekend’ consisted of a pair of jeans - yes she owned one pair - and a Ralph Lauren polo, something the girls had insisted on her wearing as they wanted to bake cookies.

"Caroline, darling, I’m not wearing that to dinner with, well anyone. That is for us to see, family, and no one else."

"Fine," she huffed rolling away from Miranda and off the edge of the bed. "But I’m still picking."

Miranda watched as Caroline perused her wardrobe with more care and attention than Miranda had ever seen her pay towards clothing.

"Why do you need me to look like your mother, rather than who I am?" she wondered aloud.

Caroline scampered off into the corner to pick something and came out grinning.

"You’ve got it wrong Mom," she said, putting the outfit on the bed and squeezing Miranda's cheeks between her little hands. "You only pretend to be Miranda Priestly. We know you’re always our Mom."

She escaped out of her room, leaving Miranda engrossed in her thoughts until she glanced at the clock by her bed.

"Gracious, I’m going to be late."

She turned to look at what her daughter had picked out for her for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised at the smart, but relaxed, ensemble. A pair of slacks and an off the shoulder top. A little more decolletage than she would have liked, but perhaps Caroline was correct. She was a mother every day of her life, and Miranda Priestly in varying degrees at other times. She could be Miranda Priestly tonight when she dealt with Andréa’s unfortunate ‘Thomas’ and then she would be 'Mom' again; something that warmed her heart more than any issue of Runway.

She was just putting the final touches to her hair when the doorbell rang.

"Cassidy, you may open the door," she said, descending the stairs while she attached her earring.

"ANDY!"

Miranda couldn't hear what Andréa had said in return, but Cassidy giggled and Miranda remembered when Andréa used to smile at her.

"Hey Andy," Caroline said, moving from the bottom of the stairs to the doorway and out of Miranda’s sight. "Yeah, she’s just coming."

Miranda placed her foot on the last step and stopped dead still. She found herself staring open-mouthed at a slightly curvier, though still size four Andréa, lifting what seemed to be a small bundle from a child carrier.

"Andréa," she breathed, startled when the girl before her looked up. There were those big doe eyes, looking straight into her own, and everything else disappeared as it had done one or two times before.

She frowned, hearing a sound, and stepped forward to peer into the blankets. Her heart skipped a beat and she found herself smiling just a little as she looked at the little face peeking out from under the blankets.

"This is Thomas, Mom. He’s Andy’s son. Isn’t he soooo cute!" Cassidy said, pulling faces at the baby.

"He is," she paused as Andréa looked up and she saw exactly what she saw in the mirror every day shining out of her eyes. "Extremely handsome, though I was unaware you had a child Andréa. You should have told me." There was a little reproach in her voice as she met Andréa's eyes again.

"I should have yes, but," she paused, chewing on her lip for a moment. "It was a little more fun not to."

The cheek of the woman made Miranda arch her eyebrow and glare just a little as her own children giggled in the background.

"We would have told you too Mom, but you were being all weird about it."

She felt the blush heat up her face as the girls hung Andréa’s coat in the closet and dragged her into the sitting room they always sat in before dinner. Ideally they should have been in the guest sitting room, but apparently, her girls were running this show. Even if she had argued, she doubted they would have listened. Andréa was evidently their guest tonight, not her's.

Andréa was seated on the edge of her sofa, looking a little out of place while Caroline and Cassidy knelt in front of her playing peek-a-boo with her delightful child.

"Girls, let Andréa get settled please, and stop poking your tongues out at the poor child. He’ll think you are deformed."

They laughed and threw themselves down on the sofa, pushing each other out of the way to sit next to Andy.

"How about I move over then you can sit either side," Andréa said, laughing at their antics.

Her smile was incredible. People said that Miranda Priestly was beautiful when she turned it on for the masses, but every single one of them was wrong. Andréa Sachs was beautiful, because she was - real somehow, tactile. Miranda stopped mid-pour as she realised what she’d just thought. She wanted to touch Andréa, not in any sort of base way, but just to feel her skin, watch the goosebumps rise from her back as her nails ran down her spine to her-

She dropped the bottle.

"Miranda?" she spun around to see Andréa, making sure that Cassidy was alright with Thomas for a moment as she moved forward to her side. She looked around her, avoiding Andréa’s eyes. There was glass everywhere, and she felt like a fool. "Hey, are you cut?"

She was so soft.

Her hand clutched Miranda’s, pulling gently her away from the mess.

"Miranda?"

She _really_ needed to pull herself together.

"I’m fine. Cassidy go and," she turned to see her holding onto Thomas, giggling as he blew bubbles.

"I’ll get it, where is it?" Andréa said, heading out of the room.

"Andréa, no, you are not - sit down, just, sit down."

The poor woman did as she was told, but Miranda didn't feel any better. She’d never felt like this before in her whole life. Never had her mask failed her so spectacularly.

"I’ll get it Mom," Caroline said, looking sideways at her as she left.

Andréa sat down opposite where she was standing amidst the glass and stared, waiting for Miranda to say something. She was about to when the baby started howling like the world was going to end.

"I didn’t do anything I swear."

Miranda couldn't help it, she laughed. More so when Cassidy nearly let go of him when the volume increased.

"MOM!" she squeaked, panicking at the sound. "It wasn’t my fault!"

"We know Cass, relax kiddo, he’s just hungry," Andréa said, chuckling as she got up and went to sit next to Cassidy. She caught Miranda’s eye, smiling so beautifully even as she looked lost for a moment. "Um, do you want me to leave, or, I have a wrap, but I don’t usually -"

"Andréa," she wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but Caroline came back, breaking the tension that had just built for some reason. "Please continue in here. The girls and I don’t mind."

"Can I feed him for you?" Caroline said, dumping the glass remains in the nearest receptacle.

"It’s not quite that simple Caroline," she explained gently. "I, um, I’m breastfeeding."

Cassidy leant against Miranda’s side as Andréa positioned her son and the muslin sheet over her shoulder.

"Oh, that’s cool though isn’t it?" Caroline said looking at Miranda. "Isn’t it supposed to be like super good for babies?"

"It is indeed," Miranda said, feeling somewhat proud of Andréa for doing what she herself could not do. She dreaded the next question, knowing it was coming before the girls had even thought of it.

"Did you feed us like that?" Cassidy said, sitting now across Miranda’s lap, irrespective of the company they had. Andréa was not Nigel or even their grandmother. Andréa was privileged to see their ‘family’ manners.

"I," she paused as Caroline suddenly became interested. "I was unable to. My body did not produce enough milk to sustain you both, but for a while we managed."

"Was that ‘cos there were two of us?" Caroline asked, kneeling next to her.

She could see Andréa smirking out of the corner of her eye and she resolved to ignore her. Caroline was correct, she was a mother first.

"It was _because_ there were two of you, yes. My body would not produce more than it already was, so I was advised to switch you to a bottle, something you both enjoyed as your father could feed you as well."

The conversation appeared done and they sat quietly, listening to the little noises Thomas was making as he fed.

"He’s as hungry as I am," Caroline said, giggling as her stomach rumbled.

"I know darling, dinner will be here in exactly three minutes."

They sat in silence, something Miranda wasn’t used to when she had guests, but she couldn't help but watch, like her children were doing, as Andréa fed her son. It was such a primal thing to witness, the nourishment of a small and helpless little human form. She mourned the world for its ignorance and lack of understanding. Plenty of people thought breastfeeding should be done where no one could see it, but this, this was as natural as life ever got, and it was refreshing. Working at the top of an industry that prided itself on being something that it wasn’t Miranda sighed, leaning back with a smile as her own babies watched on with interest.

"Does that hurt?" Caroline said suddenly, looking between them for an answer.

"I believe it hurts for a while," Miranda said, looking at Andréa for a more concrete answer. She would never tell them, but the first month of feeding her voracious twins was agony and there were tears shed whenever they cried to be fed.

"It was at first, my body had to get used to him, but it’s alright now. He gets over excited sometimes though and chomps down. Then it hurts," she explained, so gently to Miranda’s children. The little warmth in her heart ignited once again, sending Miranda into another uncontrolled spin.

Thank God the doorbell rang.

"That will be dinner, girls, please set the table in the family dining room tonight, I shall go and let them in. Andréa?" Miranda said, getting up, but pausing as her brilliant chocolate eyes turned back towards her. "Will you be long?"

"No, he’s nearly asleep," she answered quietly. "Do you, do you mind if he sits in the carrier in the dining room. He shouldn't wake up, but I’d feel better about it if he was with me."

Miranda’s heart broke just a little at what Andréa must think of her. She nearly snapped back, before recalling what Caroline had said. Andréa had never had an excuse to see her as ‘Mom’ Miranda and she wanted to give her to opportunity to.

"Andréa, I," she paused, frowning when she heard the twins call through the door they knew not to open. "I know I do not usually explain myself, but," she paused again, "Caroline said something to me earlier that was somewhat poignant. I had commented that I was Miranda Priestly, and she insisted that in fact, I was ‘Mom’ and that I only pretended to be Miranda Priestly now and again. I am afraid I forget that fact," Miranda walked over to where Andréa was sitting quite still and watching with bright eyes. "You are also, as my girls say, a ‘Mom’. I would never dream of telling you where you can or cannot set your son down," she thought about it for a moment. "Anyone who does so will answer to me," she said quietly, leaving before she said something more stupid in the wake of that beautiful face looking up at her.

She went straight downstairs, let the young man in and opened a bottle of wine while he unloaded their food, swallowing two mouthfuls before catching herself, or even letting it breathe.

"I’m going crazy," she whispered to herself.

Realising belatedly that Andréa probably wouldn’t drink while she was feeding, she took another swallow and left it on the bench. Lord knew she would no doubt need it before the night was over.

"Mom, we’re ready," Cassidy called, breaking into her thoughts. Her children would be hungry, especially as they would usually have eaten by now.

She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. It was just dinner.


End file.
